In the game of tennis, as with many other sports, the way the racket is held is important both for general control of the racket and for application of appropriate power in striking the ball. In the game of tennis, there are several different ways to hold the racket, various techniques being preferred by various people.
In teaching the game of tennis, one must instruct the student in the proper gripping technique for the racket, and one instructor may teach more than one of the conventional techniques for gripping the racket. In attempting to describe a particular technique, the instructor must attempt to describe various portions of the hand, and make reference to portions of the racket handle. In both cases it is difficult to be completely specific, and a demonstration necessarily makes up a good portion of the instruction. While the demonstration is adequate during a lesson, the student may forget the demonstration when the student is practicing without the instructor, and the verbal communication may be the only recollection. At this point, the lack of specificity in the verbal instruction may cause errors in the student's practice.
There have been considerable efforts to develop a racket handle, or grip, that will at least indicate to the student how the racket is to be held, and preferably to require the racket to be held in a certain manner. Some of the prior art grips have apparently been developed by novice tennis players in that the technique for gripping the racket is incorrect in accordance with traditional standards. Other grips in the prior art may allow the correct positioning for one technique to hold a racket, but will not allow other, equally acceptable, gripping techniques.